


The Parent Trap

by timahina



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Parent Trap Fusion, F/M, Gen, Sibling Bonding, also low key apples
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-23 22:34:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11999328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timahina/pseuds/timahina
Summary: The last thing Serena or Rin thought would happen on a six week tournament was finding their long lost twin. Or trying to get their parents back together.





	1. Chapter 1

The Duel World Championship was the most anticipated event within the sport; coming along every four years, lasting six weeks of the summer and featuring professional duelists all across the world to do battle across the terrain of the city. This year, it was held at Heartland City, an emerging city of technology and innovation. A perfect event for a growing, aspiring city. Many traveled far to get tickets to the events – at least those not already taken up by the sponsoring duel schools. Usually, they sent off their best students as means to inspire and reward, as well as to observe the competition from the competing schools.

One of the biggest sponsors of the championship was Leo Corporation and their own school, Leo Duel School or LDS for short. Easily, they sent the most students as guests to the events, this one being no different. With such a high level of skill and prestige, it was its own entity – a lone wolf of sorts that provided tension amongst themselves and the students of other schools. But the first day of events was _normally_ , peaceful.

 “I said, move it!” A young girl yelled in irritation as she shoved through a group of boys blocking the hotel entrance. She could hear them grumbling about her bitchy attitude and heavy suitcase hitting their legs as she lugged them around. Normally, she would’ve retaliated and scolded them but she was in such a sour mood already, it would’ve been pointless to add to it. “Wait, what? No, Daddy – I wasn’t talking you.” She reassured him, adjusting her earbuds. “Sorry, some idiots were in my way. Anyway, I’m about to check in and then get a bite to eat so I’mma call you back in bit.”

_“That’s fair. I doubt the airline food was all that great. Enjoy yourself sweetheart, call me later if you got the energy.”_

“Ok, Daddy.”

_“And I don’t want some dumb text at 3am about how you forgot.”_

“ _Okay,_ I get it.” She smiled, stopping at the check-in desk and putting her bags down, trying to give her aching shoulders some relief. “Talk to you later, Daddy.”

_“Bye, Rin.”_

Rin hung up and took off her earbuds and laughed nervously to the probably very exhausted desk attendant. She could only imagine how many people have checked in and how already fed up they were. “Ah, sorry – was talking to my dad.” She passed on her student ID as well as a credit card. “Uh, my dad booked a room for me. A single, actually.”

“Name?” The attendant asked, his eyes hardly leaving the computer screen

“Sakaki Rin.”

His eyes were still blank, a sign of fatigue. “… I meant your dad’s.”

She blushed mildly from embarrassment. “Oh, sorry. It uh, should be under Sakaki Zarc.” Rin was trying not to get into a slight panic, but it was inevitable. After such a long flight and carting around heavy luggage, the last thing she wanted to hear was a nightmare scenario that he forgot to call and book her room.

“Oh dear.” The desk attendant’s brows furrowed. Rin’s heartbeat sped up. “We have your reservation but there seems to have been some confusion.” Her leg started bouncing and she could only smile in an effort not to scream at the top of her lungs what exactly he was talking about. “My deepest apologies, due to the large number of duelists arriving – it seems you’ll be sharing a suite with another student.”

_A suite?_ That was definitely an upgrade. Rin could almost laugh and she did, mostly as just a reflex of relief. “Oh, that’s fine! No worries! As long as I got a room.” She waved her hands, watching as the attendant finally took her dad’s credit card, running it through the system. At least she had a funny story to tell him later that night. He’d probably laugh at her dilemma and say it was some kind of karma.

“And… you are all set, suite 51 at the third floor.” He handed Rin a key card as well as the credit card back. “And please, don’t worry about the bags – we’ll send a bellhop to assist you.”

_Oh, thank god._ Rin was just grateful she didn’t have to have to lug them to the elevator and stumble into her room. Instead, she got to watch another attendant come along and pick up her bags, carting them onto a carrier and escorting her to the elevator. “Are there that many students here?”

“At this one?” The bellhop asked for clarification and Rin nodded, pressing the button for the third floor. “Eh… I wouldn’t say so, no. This is where mainly the competitors stay, I’ve seen only a handful of students, mainly from that one school. The really big one. LSD or something.”

Rin barely stifled a snort, loving how he referred to that school. “Yea, that one.” She didn’t want to correct him. Like many other students, she was not exactly a fan of that school – finding it overcrowded, pretentious, and overrated. But it was funny that her dad managed to get her into the same hotel where the competitors were staying. It must’ve been difficult to do so but nothing was impossible for him. Now she felt prouder of being able to upgrade to a suite. Maybe she’d get to share a room with a snob from LDS and give them a well-deserved taste of reality.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, and Rin squealed, following the bellhop down the hall till they reached suite 51 and she opened it. The room was… absolutely gorgeous, it had the charm of an apartment. “I believe the other student has yet to arrive so for now, you have the room to yourself. Do you have any questions?”

Rin shook her head as she collapsed on the couch, giving a groan of exhaustion and relief. It was _so_ comfortable and she just wanted to sleep for a bit. Food was supposed to be in the plans but that could always be served later. “Nah, I think I’m good. You can leave my bags there, I’ll take care of them later.”

“Very good, miss.”

A nap was definitely in order. She needed some time before dealing with an LDS snob for the next six weeks.

\---

“Miss Serena, can you _please_ concentrate?” Serena peered up from her phone, sighing in annoyance as she put it down next to her and squared up her shoulders – a sign that she was giving Nakajima her full attention. She still found it annoying that her mother had to send him to accompany her. A condition for her attendance, she had to be escorted there and back by her mother’s personal secretary. A trivial matter.

She stared, merely waiting for him to continue.

He cleared his throat and stared down at his phone. “Thank you, now… do you have your vitamins?” Serena opened up her bag and took out a little purple bag, shaking it to make a rattling noise. Indeed, those were her vitamins and he took that as an acceptable answer. “Sunblock?”

“You think I’ll be outside? Like, in the sun?”

“Miss Serena…”

The young girl rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “ _Yes_. I have it.”

“Pho- no, you have that.” He muttered under his breath, again scrolling through the list and continuing to read it off as Serena merely gave off smart remarks. Ultimately, she knew her mother was just worried and wanted to make sure she was safe and comfortable at all times. But still, she was being a bit dramatic if she had to list off the snacks she had taken and if she had a jacket and first aid kit as though she were going to be camping or something.

It really had been too long an afternoon.

“Really, her list should be – wallet, suitcases, phone, and duel gear. That’s… that’s about it. She’s being dramatic.”

Nakajima nodded, putting away his phone in his pocket. “Well, she has a right to be worried. This is the biggest dueling event of the season and-”

Serena groaned loudly, knocking her head back. She heard the spiel multiple times throughout her life, knew when every dueling event was, which were the major and minors and the scheduling and qualifications almost as well as the back of her hand. It was almost second nature and for Nakajima to start repeating it… “Oh, we’re here.” A fateful moment when the car had stopped.

Another step closer to relaxing before the main activities. Nakajima stepped out of the car, helping Serena out who then stretched and held tightly onto her bag. “If you don't want to stay here-”

“No!” Serena exclaimed as Nakajima grabbed her other bags from the trunk. “No, no - I'm perfectly fine with this hotel. Just… bigger than I thought.” It was really hitting her that she would be gone for six weeks. Her mother was far from her and so was LDS and all her family as well. Nothing ahead but six weeks of pro-dueling and an entire city engulfed in the tournament.

“Come, Miss Serena.” She nodded and hurried after Nakajima, who was carrying her two other bags for the trip. The hotel wasn’t as crowded as she thought but that may have been just because it was later in the afternoon and by now, most people had checked in to their rooms. The desk attendant looked exhausted. She almost felt sorry for him, recognizing that look she had seen several times on the employees of LDS. Every hotel in the city was probably in hell but this one in particular was where many of the high ranked duelists stayed in, hence why her mother was able to get her a room there. “The reservation should be under Akaba Ray, for her daughter Akaba Serena.” Nakajima spoke for her and immediately the desk attendant clicked away.

The name ‘Akaba’ was well-known no matter what city she was in – especially for something like a duel tournament. Who in the dueling world didn’t know of Leo Corporation and the Akaba Family?

It didn’t surprise her that he was quickly trying to accommodate her. What _did_ surprise her, however, was the worried look on his face and how furious his typing became.

“Is there a problem?” Nakajima sounded impatient. Serena sighed; what now?

“I, uh… it seems that we overbooked and…”

“Wait,” Serena leaned on the counter, her expression hard. “I don’t have a room?” She turned to Nakajima. It was a long day and she was finally feeling the effects of it. “My mother told you _specifically_ to get my room months ago! Am I supposed to call her and tell her you’re not doing your _job_?”

“Miss Serena, you don’t have to go that far.”

She groaned, pulling out her phone as a warning. Nakajima immediately responded by placing his hands on the counter, using his deep voice and stature as a means of intimidation. A slight argument ensued. Well, the argument mainly consisted of Nakajima threatening Leo Corporation lawsuit against the desk attendant who appeared to be the very definition of nervous wreck.

Serena wasn’t paying much attention-

“She _does_ have a room, however-”

-until now. And that was all she needed to hear. “Then stop beating around the bush and give me the key!” Serena interjected, holding her hand out and was counting down the seconds until the room key was given to her.

“Miss Serena, I’d rather you not share a room. Especially since your mother spared no expense to make sure you would be comfortable.”

Oh?

Was that the problem?

No matter.

“I don’t care. I just want a room and I’d take a broom closet. Just give me my key and lead me to my room.” The sooner she got to her room, the sooner she could order food and sleep and start her activities in the morning. As well as finally be rid of Nakajima and any nagging orders he’d give her direct from her mother. And sharing a room with another person didn’t sound too awful. It would either be another ass-kisser of an LDS student or maybe even a pro-duelist who would recognize her name. Either way, she was in safe hands.

The attendant complied, more than likely wanting their day to end as they slid the room key across the counter and Serena swiped it. “That’ll be suite 51 on the third floor.”

“Nakajima, see that my bags are handled and sent to my room.”

“But Miss-”

“ _Thank you_ , Nakajima. I’ll see ya in six weeks.” She yelled, waving her hand overhead as she reached the elevator, not bothering to look up as she pulled out her phone again. She pressed the button for the third floor, finally seeing Nakajima’s flabbergasted expression as the doors shut in front of her and she weaved a huge sigh of relief. It was _finally_ a free moment.

Serena watched the buttons slowly lit up as she passed each floor till the third one lit up and dinged, the doors finally opening. The doors barely opened and she already was pushing her way through, eager to already get to the room.

_48, 49, 50… and here we are!_

She stopped by a door and inserted the key, the door opening. There were bags by the door that weren’t hers, she just assumed it was the other person she was sharing the room with and a note on the table. She picked it up and scoffed.

**_Hey roomie! I’m Rin! Just letting ya know, I got kinda tired of waiting so I went out to get food and see the sights, so I won’t be back till late. Don’t be surprised if someone comes in past midnight. Hope we get along for the next six weeks!_ **

It ended with what Serena could only assume was supposed to be a happy emoticon but it came off passive aggressive. Her roommate seemed to be a chipper, happy kind of person. It was just her luck too. There was a pen next to the note and she took it, writing a short reply next to it.

In any event, she merely shrugged it off – going off to the room and dropping her bag on what she assumed was the free bed. It was starting to sink in that she wasn’t home anymore, this wasn’t her room at Leo Corporation and her mom wouldn’t be coming and fiddling with her hair or anything like that. Serena groaned – she wasn’t supposed to be missing her mom _already_.

It hadn’t even been a full day!

She merely laid down on the bed, hugging her bag close to her.

\---

_12:49am_

Rin had lost track of time and the whole city was ablaze with light and life due to the tournament. And she was feeling just as restless due to her nap from earlier. The main entrance to the hotel was finally slow. Of course, there were still people but it looked more like just guests hanging around than anything else. But there wasn’t a crowd by the elevator nor people to bustle through or even bags to have to carry around.

No, this time her walk up to her room was much easier.

When she did finally get into her room, her bags were still settled by the door. _Oh, right,_ she remembered. She still had to take care of those and put them away. But there was a note taped onto there.

It was the same note she left on the table for her roommate and it was very clear what kind of person she was sharing the room with.

**_Hi, I’m Serena.  
Move your stuff, it’s a safety hazard._ **


	2. Chapter 2

Serena was up early. It was routine for her to be up at the earliest she could be. Her mother had practically drilled it into her. Even though it was more than reasonable to get some more sleep since yesterday was such a chaotic day, she didn’t find herself that tired. Unlike… some people.

Her eyes shifted to the bed next to her, seeing a girl with short puffy hair sprawled out on the bed and half her face obscured by the pillow, blanket and… eye mask. Rin was her name, if she remembered the note correctly. She looked around, seeing no new luggage meaning that girl probably either didn’t see her response or simply ignored her. Clearly, it must’ve been the first option since she most likely arrived late and was just eager to sleep.

Since she looked fast asleep, Serena took this as an opportunity to get ready for her day. But first… she grabbed her phone, dialing up a number as she left the room.

_Ring… Ring…_

_“This is Akaba Ray, what can I do for you?”_

Serena took a deep breath. More than anything, she couldn’t show anything that she already missed her mom. “Hey mom… it’s Serena.”

 _“Sere- hold on, excuse me,”_ Her mother must’ve been doing something, she would’ve been up for an hour already at this point, _“Serena, sweetie – hi, what happened? Nakajima told me there was something wrong with the room?”_

She groaned heavily – why did her mom always have to bring up what went wrong? “It’s not a big deal – I just ended up sharing a room with someone.”

_“With who? I’m not comfortable with you sharing a room with a complete stranger.”_

“Mom, she’s just another student. Hell, I’ve probably seen her around LDS before. It’s not a big deal. If she ends up being an axe murderer, I’ll just call security.” Serena may have found that joke funny, giving a chuckle but her mother did not. No, instead Ray began on a lecture.

_“Sweetie, I’m not comfortable with this situation. I’ll call up the hotel and speak with the manager, see if-”_

“Mom, no!” Serena yelled out, quickly covering her mouth realizing how loud she was. She went farther away from the room, scrambling for the door to try and get more privacy. In her rush, she didn’t see the bags blocking the entrance and nearly tripped over them, yelping slightly.

 _“Serena? What’s…. what’s going on? Are you ok?”_ A slight panicked tone.

“ _Shi-_ yea! Yea, I’m fine! Just tripped. The roommate forgot to move her stuff. Um, I’m gonna get ready for the day and everything. I just wanted to call and say hi, I’m still alive.”

Ray laughed and Serena could visualize her smile perfectly. _“And that you miss me, right?”_

She blushed, grumbling. “It hasn’t even been a day…” She did but she wouldn’t admit it. Not when she nearly tripped over suitcases. It would make her look more like a child and have her mother’s worries skyrocket. “I-I’ll call you later.”

_“I miss you too sweetie. But text me later actually; grandpa’s got me in a personal meeting today.”_

Serena nodded in understanding, muttering a goodbye before hanging up. She stared at her phone for another few seconds before opening up messaging and sending a few quick texts to her mom, just a heart emoji with ‘I miss you’ as a tag line.

It was just embarrassing.

In any case… there was a situation she had to deal with. The very _clear_ safety hazard she had warned her about had happened. But the note… instead this time, it was on the floor, crumpled up. She _did_ see it!

Serena tightened her fists. She had half a mind to go in there and start berating the girl but decided on something else. It was like a light bulb went off in her head and she grinned, turning her attention to the suitcases. It was always easier to showcase a point rather than lecture it down someone’s throat.

\---

Rin could hear her phone and she groaned, her hand wildly grabbing at the night stand till she found her phone. It was either an alarm or a call, she couldn’t tell. She removed the eye mask and squinted at her phone – it was just an alarm. It was near 11am.

Well… at least it wasn’t noon.

She got up at a near snail’s pace, stretching and taking the blanket with her. “Good mor-!” She was ready to greet her roommate but instead there was no one else in the room. The bed next to her was all made up and tidy. She would’ve thought that the roommate never arrived but there were suitcases all piled neatly in the corner. She was bunking up with a nerd, probably. Not the worst of circumstances but she found it funny – they made up the hotel bed. The sheets were going to replaced anyways so it didn’t matter that much to begin with.

Oh well, it didn’t matter as long as she was nice. Judging from the note, she probably wasn’t. But then again, that could’ve been like… maybe she had a long day. “The suitcases!” She had crumpled up the note, that much she remembered but she never moved her luggage!

_Shit!_

Rin scrambled out of bed and to the door, opening it and in an instant, seeing her suitcases. But sadly, it was not nearly fast enough to catch herself before she completely fell over them and landing on the ground.

 _Oh,_ that was a painful fall. Rin groaned as she slowly turned over – there would probably be a bruise on her elbow or something now. Why were her suitcases in front of the door? She didn’t move them, especially not there! How did…?

Suddenly, she spotted it – the note from before. It had been smoothed out but no new response. Instead, it was once again taped to the now fallen suitcase and there was a giant circle around ‘safety hazard’.

Serena… she did this! Whoever she was! Was the LDS brat that angry that she ignored the note and was trying to break her neck? She huffed, somehow spite fueling her as she stood up, ignoring the pain. She’d get her back for this, with… something! Revenge would have to come when she had some food in her belly and was slightly more awake but there was no way Rin was taking this lying down.

\---

The opening ceremony was starting up and large crowds were forming to take their seats at Heartland Stadium before the championship finally took place around the city. Although tickets had been sold out for weeks, lines had been formed for the past few nights to try and avoid the crowd of seats and grabbing the best view. It was always a hassle and Serena could only imagine the nightmare for security, remembering some of the professional duelists sponsored by LDS retelling the nightmare to her before.

Speaking of which… they were probably hanging around there. And like hell she was waiting in line along with everyone else just to get mediocre seats. Serena strolled out of line, going around the crowd and people snickering at her for leaving the line.

She paid them no mind, eyes staring forward as she continued around – looking for the entrance for the professional duelists and VIPs. She found guards wearing bright yellow shirts in front of a locked door. Beyond there had to be the competitors. “Hey, let me in.”

The guards looked at one another, stifling a laugh. “The line is on the other side, little girl. Go there.”

“Excuse me?” Serena scoffed. “No, I’m not waiting over there. I’m going through here.”

“Girl, we’re not saying it _again._ ”

Serena could almost find it funny how they thought they were intimidating. Run of the mill muscle didn’t mean much to her, not when she had been raised surrounded by actual trained guards of LDS. Serena rummaged through her bag, finding the VIP pass and brought it out – annoyance written all over her face while the guards looked almost apologetic.

“Apologies, Miss Akaba – we’re just doing our-”

“Well, I’ll be sure to tell my mother to give you both a _gold_ star.” It was ridiculous that she had to explain herself at all – she would’ve thought they’d have just recognized her.

The guards grumbled, reluctantly moving aside the rope and opening the door for her as she strolled through. She could’ve reprimanded them for treating her like she was a delinquent. Of course, they had to be strict. But it was just ridiculous to assume she was just an overzealous fan.

She was wandering around for a little bit, following the arrow signs until she found the VIP area. It was mainly where the higher ups of duel schools and corporations stayed at to watch the duels in comfort. And where she’d be at for the opening ceremony. Like hell she was going to stay there for the remainder of the tournament surrounded by stuffed shirts. She sighed, taking a seat and hugging her bag to herself.

\---

Rin was practically running around town, following the big crowds and groaning loudly as she saw the line. She had overslept and was too busy being a petty person to realize how late in the day it had gotten! And she was about to miss the opening ceremony!

No!

She wanted to grab every picture she possibly could. But the line was so long she’d probably be in the worst spot and get to see nothing. It was so loud too; voices in the crowd, that’s what everyone was. Screaming and shouting everyone’s name to try and find each other or even other celebrities. Oh! Maybe she’d even get a picture of Jack Atlas and show it off to Yugo. He’d probably enjoy that…

But she wouldn’t find him in this crowd, no – she’d have to find him near the VIP entrance. Would they let her hang around there? Probably not and there was no guarantee that he wasn’t already in too. She could ask them, maybe? There was no harm in a simple question. Rin ran again, or at least tried to as she pushed her way through the crowd.

All the voices and loud yelling and shoving and sweaty people – all of this was a nightmare. She should’ve set her alarm so much sooner instead of sleeping in so late.

Finally – Rin had found the VIP entrance and of course there was already a crowd there. She whined loudly. How was she gonna get through all that? And having to fight her way through the sweaty and angry people all over again. And this time, it was a fight against overzealous fans and there was no way the guards would let her just _ask_ if Jack Atlas had come in yet.

So lost in her thoughts, Rin was jolted out of them when someone’s hand gripped onto her arm. Immediately, she turned around and punched the person right across their cheek and released her. “Don’t touch me!”

The boy groaned, holding onto their cheek in pain. “Damn! That hurt!”

“If you don’t grab random people, you won’t get punched!” Her face was nearly as red as his cheek. She took a good look at him, realizing how much like a brat he looked. And worse so, he had an LDS pin meaning he _definitely_ was a brat.

“ _Random_? Serena, it’s me – Sawatari! Geez…”

Rin’s lip furled. Serena? Did… did he confuse her for the LDS brat that was her roommate? How did he even do that? Regardless, she ignored him. Turning around and going up the entrance and pushing through a crowd of people. The guards there in their bright highlighter yellow shirts looked already tired. “Hey uh, quick question. Did Jack A-”

They groaned. “Did you get lost on your way out or something?” Rin just stared, confused. What were they talking about? “Here, go on in Miss Akaba.” Whoever they confused her for, Rin would take it as they were letting her in! Oh, she definitely had a story to tell her dad when this day was over.

Rin walked through cautiously, ready for them to realize their mistake but they hadn’t yet so… “Hey! Serena!”

The boy chased after her until he was walking beside her. “I’m not Serena. Leave me alone before I punch you again.” Somehow, that got him away from her.

Whoever this ‘Serena’ was, she’d definitely needed to have a few words with her. They probably had the same hair or something. “At least go the right way! The VIP section is _this_ way.” Sawatari pointed in the other direction and Rin grimaced. In a begrudging defeat, she followed him. It was such a strange walk too – all Sawatari did was stare at her. She found it incredibly annoying. Couldn’t he look anywhere else?

“Do you have a problem?”

“You look _exactly_ like Serena.”

“And you’re gonna look like a punching bag if you mention her again.” Rin made sure to say in her most chipper, upbeat tone.

Sawatari looked away, trying to keep his eyes away from her but it was so difficult for him.

At last, he led her to the VIP section. As soon as they entered though, Sawatari led out a loud yelp. “Serena?!”

Serena groaned; Sawatari was here too? She was looking forward to not dealing with anyone from LDS, especially the self-important ass-kissers like him. She turned her head, ready to essentially eviscerate him with one stare but instead had the shock of her life.

There was… there was another girl there. She looked _exactly_ like her! That was her face on that girl’s head!

She stood up, barely able to breathe. That other girl was also just… staring at her. It was like a mirror come to life. Neither of them could possibly say a single word, merely standing at opposite ends of the section – hardly able to move even.

It was up to Sawatari to break the silence between them.

“You… whoa! There are _two_ Serenas!”

“Stop calling me Serena! I’m Rin. RIN! R. I. N! _Rin_!”

The loud tantrum from the short-haired girl knocked her back into her senses and Serena realized the gravity of the situation. The girl with her face was her irresponsible and rude roommate.


	3. Chapter 3

Serena felt like she was having an out of body experience. There was… someone that had her face, that was her face on someone else’s body. Even when she yelled at Sawatari, their voices matched. Granted, hers was less formal and polished than her own but aside from that… she wanted to scream. This Rin person – she was in the same room as her. And was in the VIP section, the same as her. Serena gripped tighter onto her bag, standing straight up to her feet and marching over to both her look-a-like and Sawatari.

Rin was ready to tear her hair out. The boy had kept referring to her as Serena and now she could see why. Even though the ‘real’ Serena had long hair, unlike her short hair, pulled up in a high ponytail and dressed in a more uniformed attire which differed from her more casual appearance. She watched Serena circle her and thought it the most bizarre behavior. Why wasn’t she screaming or freaking out or doing anything like a rational person?

Serena stopped right in front of Rin and pouted. “… Sawatari, get your eyes checked. We look nothing alike.”

“You look _exactly_ like-!”

“You tried to kill me this morning!” Rin interjected, pushing Sawatari away from them. “You purposefully moved the suitcases-!”

Serena snorted, interrupting the tirade that was soon to come. “Oh, the ones I instructed you to move? I left you a note and was thorough. Don’t tell me your _safety_ was in jeopardy.” Her voice held so much sarcasm and her smirk smug as could be – it was thrilling to see the girl’s face redden out of shame and frustration, knowing she was correct and she couldn’t talk about to her. “I’d say we’re even.”

Rin knew logically that what should be done was apologize for ignoring her note, thus Serena would apologize for moving the suitcase; thus, making their bitterness disappear and making their living situation much more amiable and they could perhaps become acquaintances by the time the tournament was over with. But rolling over and tolerating any sort of slight against her… She knew exactly what her father would want her to do and what she was taught to do. Rin thrust her hands forward and pushed Serena, causing her to stumble against some chairs and fall backwards from losing her balance.

Serena was stunned. She barely registered how fast the whole thing went down and all that was coursing through her mind – aside from the jolts of pain coursing up her back – was how much she was ready to return the pain tenfold. But she could hear her mother’s voice in her head, telling her not to cause a scene or draw attention to her in a negative way. More so, she had a witness to this.

“There.” Rin leaned forward, her hands on her hips. Her entire stance was upholding the same smug expression that Serena was sure she had before the fall. But hers was more uncouth, that was certain. “Now we’re even, LDS brat.”

Serena didn’t hesitate to act. She ignored the searing pain as she quickly stood up to her feet and took a step forward, raising her fist to strike her down and show her what ‘even’ meant. Unfortunately, she never made contact with her face as Sawatari suddenly came behind her and had his arms wrapped around her arms, holding her in place. “Serena! Come on, get a hold of yourself!”

“I’ll rip your stupid face off!”

Rin placed her hands behind her back, swaying back and forth and smiling innocently. “But it’s _your_ stupid face, LDS brat. Maybe it would help if I made the same angry, defeated face.”

The taunting didn’t help Serena’s temper or Sawatari’s strength in the matter. Instead, Serena had yelled louder and Sawatari was forced to try and back her up – causing some more chairs to pushed and thrown from her kicking feet and thrashing about. The commotion she was causing, it definitely caught some attention but in a negative way. Several others tried to enter the section only to see a potential fight ensue between the girls and Sawatari trying to prevent it. She was too caught up in her own anger toward the smug girl that she hadn’t noticed the guards in the highlighter shirts coming in.

“Hey now, break it up!”

Rin feigned innocence, backing up and placing her hand on her chest. “She tried to _punch_ me!” She pointed dramatically at Serena, who now was no longer being held by Sawatari but now instead was being ‘escorted’ out of the section.

“You pushed me, you bitch!”

“Not my fault you fell.” With those as her parting words, Rin waved goodbye at her till Serena was out of sight. This would be the funniest story to tell her dad – running into her doppelganger of a roommate and getting her kicked out of a VIP section she wasn’t supposed to be in.

However, one of the guards in the bright yellow shirts stayed and stared at Rin. She suddenly became sheepish. “Uh… is, is something wrong?”

“Do you need to file a report against your sister?”

“… my what?”

“We have a zero tolerance for violence and can involve the police if you like. However, if this was just a family dispute-”

“Eh, let me stop you there. She’s… she’s not my sister. We’re not related. I literally just met her today.” The confusion on the guard’s face was barely restrained. Rin gulped, turning around and picking up a chair before sitting on it as quickly as she could. It was strange afternoon indeed.

Maybe… maybe she _wouldn’t_ tell her dad she got into a fight with someone who could pass off as her. She could just shorten it to an LDS brat, that would suffice. But still… the guard had a point. This girl, Serena, looked so much like her. Earlier the guards confused her for a Miss… _oh, what was the name?_ The name wasn’t coming to mind, the moment ha passed by so briefly. They thought they were related and even the boy thought she was that girl. It wasn’t normal. The chances of that happening were… well, she didn’t know the exact number, but it must’ve been a slim to zero chance of a complete stranger looking exactly like her. Rin couldn’t recall having her dad having any siblings meaning cousins and whatnot were off the table.

It was really a strange coincidence and that girl couldn’t even acknowledge it.

\---

Serena couldn’t stand being paraded out of the restricted VIP section and having everyone watch her be dragged out of the stadium as though she were a petulant fan who couldn’t control herself. Even worse, the security there had treated her like she was the only who was unruly and wouldn’t even listen to her.

She huffed, wanting to scream and throw down, teach them a thing or two about the disrespect they displayed. Maybe even put a call to her family and see if she could get them all fired. But that would involve telling her mother exactly what happened. It probably wouldn’t have made too much sense that a girl who bore a somewhat strange resemblance caused her to get kicked out of the arena. Serena shook her head – involving her mother was a terrible idea. All that would come about would be the decision to never let her travel on her own again. And if that happened, there would be only one person to blame.

Her roommate, Rin – whoever she was.

It was all that plagued her mind as she went back to the hotel – the opening ceremonies far from her mind. It wasn’t as though they were ever anything spectacular and the view was horrendous so what’s-her-name Rin could enjoy her mediocre experience. _How did she even get in?_

Only VIPs were allowed in and without a pass, she couldn’t go in. For students, those were harder to obtain. She only got one because of her name, she was an Akaba. Sawatari was there because his dad had probably bribed someone to get one. That or he talked their ear off till he was given one. But that girl… she didn’t recall her from LDS and it was difficult for non-LDS students to obtain one unless they were important. So either security was lax and mistook them for the same person or the girl got her own pass. As much as Serena wanted it to be the latter, it was most likely the former and it was an option that revolted her.

They honestly didn’t look anything alike.

Well, maybe they had the same nose.

“Not if I break it…” Serena mumbled under breath, along with a series of threats as she entered the hotel. The lobby was empty today – the occupants most likely gone into the city for the ceremony and all its grand spectacle.

No, Serena would catch that next year. Now, instead she was determined to learn about her roommate and see what kind of demon was sleeping across from her.

She moved faster and with more purpose as she swiped her room key and the door opened – she snorted loudly. The luggage was finally moved at least. Maybe that was part of the trap though? Serena moved slowly, staring at the door for a few moments before opening it and watching the door swing. Her stuff was still neatly in the corner and her bed still made up. The other side of the room told a different tale.

The luggage was tossed haphazardly between their beds and clothes and whatnot were tossed all over – even the bed was unmade. Not as though the cleaning crew could do much to make Rin’s bed when all her stuff was everywhere. Serena squatted down and noticed a tag on the suitcase, flipping it over and seeing the name.

Sakaki Rin.

That was her.

 _Sakaki…_ The name was familiar.

\---

The ceremonies lost their appeal quickly after the incident when security found out Rin didn’t have the appropriate documentation to be where she was at and promptly kicked her out. _Totally fine_ , she thought. Instead, she spent much of the afternoon wandering around the city again and watching the first set of duels on livestream rather than… live. Besides, this way Rin could get food for cheaper while watching the tournament.

But it was getting to be a long day, tiring and hectic. And frankly, Rin was missing the bed she hopped out of that morning. And soon, she needed to call her dad anyways to update him on her day. She still needed to think about what to tell him. She pulled out her phone from her bag, trying to look up directions back to the hotel when she noticed the amount of mentions she missed groaned aloud when she saw how many of them were from Yugo.

**Heeeeeeyyy Rin!  
how goes the tournament! super jealous!**

**Just reminding you!**

**Riiiiiiin!**

**Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!**

**You better get me a Jack Atlas autograph ;-;**

Yugo had been bombarding her phone with various messages and emojis – she didn’t want to see the exact number of messages, but it was enough to show that he missed her. She couldn’t help but smile a bit as she replied.

**I’m fine, relax lol just getting some food. Call ya laters <3**

Rin sighed; another day away from Yugo and her dad was only putting in more of the sinking feeling of homesickness. By now, staying out any longer in a new city alone sounded dangerous for her wallet and her well-being. But so was going back to a hotel suite with someone she had a fight with earlier - that sounded like an even less appealing way to end her wretched day. Serena probably destroyed all her things anyways…

Wait!

Rin suddenly started in a mad sprint. Her luggage was still back in the suite and last she saw Serena, she was kicking and screaming and completely pissed at her. An easy revenge was wrecking her personal belongings and it’s not as though she cared too much about the clothes or hygienics or the bags themselves – those could be replaced and whatnot.

But she had a personal little bag there – one she always took with her. An all too real fear and paranoia was coursing through her, imagining the conceited and arrogant face of victory that Serena would lord over her for ‘getting even’ for humiliating her. It was how students were at that prestigious LDS school. Rin was panicking, thinking this would be how Serena would get back at her.

She didn’t have time to answer her phone’s annoying buzzing, however it happened to be. She couldn’t concentrate on it – hell, even waiting for the elevator door was too much as she continuously pressed the up button, the close button, the button for the floor. Everything was moving all too slowly, and Rin was jumping in place.

Tears were practically springing to her eyes as she prepared herself to the eventual sight of seeing her destroyed personals scattered across the room.

She kept whispering words of reassurance to herself, also trying to prepare herself for relief. But the pessimism took priority in her mind and Rin’s mind was going haywire from the possibilities.

The elevator doors opened up and at the tiniest bit of a opening, Rin squeezed through – utterly impatient to wait for the doors to properly open. Rin ran down the hallway till she reached her room, seeing the ‘do not disturb’ sign placed over the handle. She gulped, fearing the worst as she swiped her room key and the door opened. Her eyes examined the room as she poked her head across the threshold. Everything so far seemed in place… but this was the common area.

Not a pillow or lamp out of place.

Rin gulped and made her way to the bedroom door and saw that it was already opened by a pinch. The light was on in there.

She pushed it open wider and saw Serena sitting up on her bed with her deck all splayed out across the sheets as though she were rearranging her deck. Rin couldn’t help but take a turn about the room, seeing her luggage was neatly put to the other side of her bed.

“I moved your stuff, Sakaki Rin.” Serena said and tilted her head up, seeing Rin make a mad dash to her luggage, scouring through it before pulling out a small green case, sighing in relief as she opened it up and examined the contents. Serena huffed. “I didn’t touch anything, I just moved your stuff. I wasn’t kidding about it being a fire hazard…”

“How’d you know my name?”

“… it says _Sakaki Rin_ right on the label. I didn’t pry.”

Rin hugged the green tin tighter to her chest, feeling slight guilt for thinking the worst. But only a slight, barely noticeable. “Who are you again?” It seemed only fair that Serena knew her name that Rin should know hers too.

“Akaba Serena.” She gathered up her cards, arranging them back up in a neat little stack before putting them back in her holster. Serena noticed no new reaction from Rin; no wonder or amazement or immediate furious apologizing. That was different – refreshing almost to be around someone who didn’t know who she was.

“Akaba…? Like, an LDS Akaba?”

Serena sneered; spoke too soon.

“… yup, the one and the same. And Sakaki…” The name was so familiar to her, a name she had heard before. “Do you go to LDS in Maiami?”

“No, I’m from Neo Domino. And before you ask, no – I don’t go to that one either. I don’t go to any professional duel school.” It was the most awkward conversation Rin ever had the displeasure of being stuck in. They had a fight earlier in the day – one that escalated into a near fist fight and now they were stepping on eggshells trying to avoid the giant elephant in the room.

“Where do you learn then?”

“My dad teaches me.” Rin squared up her shoulders in a bit of pride. “He’s real famous – still holds the title of the undefeated World Champion.”

 _Undefeated…? Oh!_ Serena’s eyes widened as she jumped off her bed and onto Rin’s, trying to get close and was in mere shock. “Sakaki Zarc, that’s it!” The first duelist to ever hold the title of World Champion with a perfect record – she never had the pleasure of seeing a live duel from him, he retired years before Serena could even pick up a duel disk. His legacy was entertainment dueling, something LDS didn’t look too fondly on. “That makes sense how you were able to get backstage and-”

“Yea, about that… they only let me in because they confused me with you. Crazy, huh?”

“Totally…”

Both had shared an uncomfortable laughter, Rin fidgeting in her place on the floor while Serena rubbed her arm. Now that Serena was much closer to Rin, she could concede there were some similarities aside from the shape of their eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

Rin sighed; could she even mention the fight earlier? It was almost a good Segway into there. And maybe if they put it behind them and the whole misunderstanding thing, the next six weeks wouldn’t be such a living hell. “Look, about earlier and the whole fight… I’m uh-”

“Forget about it. Looking at that note now, I can see how I came off as… rude.” Serena mumbled, a slight blush emerging from the tips of her ears to her cheeks. “That being said, it was rude of you to crumple it up, so I guess… we were both rude. I apologize as well as accept your apology.”

It was like Serena had rehearsed the entire conversation and its outcome in her head and forgot to include her. Rin was doing her best not to laugh, understanding a little bit better. The way that Serena refused to make eye-contact with her and even the way she spoke in a robotic, practiced manner. And how her face just lit up… Spoiled brats never apologized.

Rin could chalk it up to her being… awkward. Which was funnier than she thought it’d be.

“… glad we had that talk.”

Serena smiled, almost as though she just obtained a victory.

Rin was right – it was hilarious. The mood in the room had lightened a bit and Rin took that as a sign to stand up and sit next to Serena on the bed. Closer to her, it was… _terrifying_ to say the least how alike they looked. They were… they were practically face clones. “So uh… this is gonna sound weird, but like… are we related?”

Serena scoffed. “No way. I’m an only child and don’t have any cousins.”

“… same here.” Rin managed a weak smile as her nails gripped onto the lid of the tin. She was trying not to show how tense the situation had made her, how her heart raced, and anxiety was building up. This wasn’t normal. “Your parents will probably find it hilarious then – the odds of getting a roomie who looks exactly like you. Astronomical, right?”

“Eh, just my mom in the picture. And she would not find this nearly as funny. Hell, she’d probably demand a background check. She’s a bit of a worrier.”

Rin hardly listened, only absorbing in when she had said there was only her mom. It was… the strangest coincidence. And there were only so many that Rin could buy before the obvious remained. But the obvious answer here was so outlandish, it couldn’t be true. “My dad would think it’s hilarious and probably say you were my long-lost twin from a secret marriage he never told me about.” Rin laughed from her obvious joke while Serena’s eyes widened as much as they could – it was clear she didn’t find it nearly as funny as she did. Rin raised her hands, waving them nervously. “Ah, no – I’m kidding! Please don’t take me seriously! Daddy split up with his only wife when I was still a baby.”

Her sudden movement caused the green tin to slide off her lap and fall to the ground, breaking open and its contents spilling out on the floor.

“Shit!” Rin jumped off the bed, frantically, trying to collect her trinkets.

“Oh, here,” Serena jumped off as well, getting on her knees and collecting some of the fallen items, “let me help.” It was mostly junk that had fallen out, or at least junk to her. A few handmade pieces of jewelry, old and ratty cards, and even a torn piece of paper. Serena picked up the torn paper, turning it over and she gasped loudly, her heart stopping.

It was… it was an old and torn photo. A woman holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Oh, thanks.” Rin mumbled as she was putting her items back in and turned her head, seeing Serena just staring – turning white as a sheet as she stared at the torn picture. “Gimme that!” Rin swiped it out of Serena’s loose grip and held it tightly against her chest. “Please be careful, it’s the only picture I have of my mom.”

“… your… your mom?”

Rin nodded. “… it’s… don’t judge, ok. Families are complicated.”

“No, no – it’s not that, it’s just…” Serena bit her bottom lip, unsure how to explain the shock she felt to Rin or even to herself. Instead, she stood up and walked around Rin’s bed and over to her own where her bag laid abandoned at the side. She rifled through its contents before pulling out a smaller coin bag and opened that, unfolding a torn picture she kept hidden away. “I uh…” Serena pressed the photo tightly to her chest before turning around, seeing the confusion plain as day in Rin’s eyes. The more she stared, the more it became apparent all the little blemishes and nervous twitch of her eyebrows were the same quirks she had. “I have a torn photo here too.”

“You… you do?”

“Yea, and uh…” Serena gulped, taking slow and cautious steps toward her. Never in her life had Serena felt such uncertainty. “The one you have… it’s… the chances of us having the same face are so… astronomical, as you said.” She stopped right in front of Rin’s bed before dropping down onto her knees. “And families are complicated, like you said. My parents divorced when I also was a baby. And I haven’t seen him since. Complicated, right?”

Rin could feel the tears well up again; that was her story.

She hadn’t seen her mom since either.

“Is that… a picture of your dad?”

“Yea… torn right down the middle. Like yours.”

They both gulped, their fingers shaking as they each slowly held out their pictures to the other before placing them on the ground and sliding them till the pictures touched and their torn edges fit together like a final piece to a puzzle. The picture was of a woman holding a bouquet of flowers and a man having his arms wrapped around her and their cheeks pressed together.

It… it was a wedding photo.

They were married.

“That’s… my mom. That’s really my mom…!” It wasn’t just her imagination or a thin strand of hope; that was an old picture of her mother, Akaba Ray that Rin guarded.

“And that’s daddy!” Rin exclaimed, her tears free-flowing now as she turned to Serena who was still stunned, her eyes never averting from the picture. “You’re my sister…!” Her stupid joke from earlier, it came true.

As Rin jumped forward and wrapped her arms around Serena, burying her face into her shoulder as she cried happy tears. And all Serena could do was think of earlier. How much denial she was in about their appearance. Rin was wrong, they were not just sisters.

They were identical twins.


	4. Chapter 4

Rin shifted in her bed again, her feet bunched up and entangled in sheets. There was an odd weight at her feet, something in the bed didn’t feel right. It felt heavy, too hot for comfort. The mattress was shifted, almost as though gravity itself was trying to throw her off the bed. Rin opened her eyes slowly, blurry-eyed vision as the bright light of the sun beamed onto her face the moment she turned over. She sat up slightly and nearly jumped – Serena was on her bed!

There she was at the end of the bed, cross-legged and fully dressed and typing away at her phone. “About time you woke up.”

Her mind was still turning back on. The gears slowly moving as the events of yesterday came back to her mind in bits and pieces. Getting Serena kicked out of Heartland Stadium… chatting with her… discovering they were twins… even the torn picture of their parents that they taped back together.

Rin almost doubted they were related; how was it possible that she was there, bright-eyed and cleaned up for the day and she could barely process that the sun was out? Mornings were never easy, especially when it came to vacation times. She preferred staying up till near the crack of dawn and waking up near noon but it would seem that her estranged twin was a morning person. That or disciplined. Was that how she was raised? Or was it personality?

Would there someday be a switch in her brain where she would turn to that?

Her nose scrunched. “Some of us like to sleep in.”

Serena scrunched her nose as well, nearly the same exact movement and gesture – the same manner as Rin. In each of their eyes was another confirmation of their similarities. Serena gulped, putting her phone down and gripping tightly onto the hem of her shorts. It was the slightest fidget and her eyes slowly turning downward as her cheeks tinged pink. “Can we… go out together?”

“Huh? What for?”

“I’m trying to bond with you! Isn’t that siblings do?”

Rin shrugged her shoulders, making a non-committal noise of indifference. “How should I know?”

Serena huffed. Uncertainty filled her unsettled stomach. She hadn’t the guts to tell the truth to Rin, that she hadn’t slept the entire night. Her mattress was comfortable and the room a nice temperature – perfect condition to sleep. But her stomach was queasy and her mind uneasy, racing from the thoughts and events of the day. Her entire life, all she had known was her own little circle. She never knew there was more to her family. Her father was a famous duelist she had never seen, and not once did she ever look up a video of him. His style of dueling wasn’t taught at LDS and her mother had called him ‘overrated’ and would do nothing but disrupt her own lessons.

Maybe just once, if she had…

If she had been disobedient once…

Serena had spent the night with menial tasks; going through her phone and collecting an assortment of pictures, rearranging her deck, even counting out her vitamins – all the while constantly looking back at the ever-relaxed Rin and wondering how she could manage that?

How could she sleep knowing a sister she’d never knew existed was sitting barely five feet away?

Serena reached forward, grabbing onto Rin’s wrist and pulling her up. “Either way, get up!” She pulled on her as she got out of bed and Rin stumbled behind her, the sheets getting tangled up around her legs and pulled off the bed as she was dragged up and out of bed and toward the bathroom. “You’re going to get ready, we’re bonding today.”

Rin pouted, her feet fumbling with the sheets clinging to her. “Who declared you the boss?”

“Birth, I’m probably older than you.”

“Prove it.” Rin tried to sound defiant, but it was difficult considering unfamiliar territory this was. She had friends before with siblings and there was always the hostile air between them one minute and then friendliness the next. She never knew how that was possible – what kind of personality or environment caused that. Rin never acted like that with her own friends. How did siblings achieve that? At least, she used to wonder that. Rin was ready to laugh – they were naturals at this.

Serena scoffed and released her. “Be ready in 15 minutes or you’ll pay for your own meal.”

“You’re paying?!” And just like that, Rin found the strength to free yourself from the entanglements of the sheets and ran into the bathroom. Serena was dumbfounded – the ill-timed threat for food actually worked? She’d have to remember that…

_Sakaki Rin, probably broke. Does that mean Da…?_

What was she supposed to call their father?

\---

Rin was a little overwhelmed.

The whole point of this excursion was to watch a tournament but every day, she’d wake up to Serena at the foot of her bed telling her to get up and get dressed. The times were becoming earlier and earlier with each passing day. Each time they went out, Serena demanded they walk as far as they could, see every sight and Rin as an indulgent person she was, went along.

Her feet were tired and sore, the summer heat blistering above them but Serena kept dragging her down the streets just the same. And it wasn’t even anything significant, not the tourist spots or the tournament grounds or anything of dire significance.

“Where do you usually like to go?”

“Eh, anywhere is good. You pick, Serena.”

Serena took her to shops, parks, bakeries – Rin was feeling the impact, her and her wallet included. Was this what she was normally like? Did their mom drag her around all over town and spend as much time with her as she could… and this is just her emulating it?

A sickly feeling arose deep within her and everything started to turn bitter. The summer heat felt like a mere prick of the skin, the tiny rocks that made it under the soles of her feet felt hollow. Even the ice cream sundae they shared had turned bitter in her mouth, no amount of chocolate syrup could mask the ache she felt. Rin had no logical reason to feel this way. Serena had done nothing wrong. The entire week, nothing but make her get up every day and flash her money and force a bond between them all due to a torn picture. It wasn’t as though she _didn’t_ want a bond between them – Rin wanted to know about her, their mom and what did Serena do that she didn’t…

“Is something wrong?”

Rin shook her head, merely laying down on the bed and kicking her shoes off after a long day of being on her feet. “I’m just tired, Serena.”

Serena gripped onto her bag tightly and exhaled heavily, sitting at the edge of Rin’s bed and moving her legs slightly to get room. The subtle tick of annoyance flashing on Rin’s face didn’t escape her notice at all. Was she acting too familiar? Should she give her space? “… tell me about Neo Domino.”

“It’s a big city with lots of motorcycles.” Rin said, pushing her face into the pillow and muffled her groans against it.

“… do you ride one?” Serena could barely make out the reply with Rin’s face practically buried into the pillow, so much so she had become one with it. “Hey.” Serena poked her side and suddenly, her body contorted, and she sat up with a shriek.

“What!”

“You seem annoyed.”

Rin didn’t know if this was purposeful, a game to see if she could get on her nerves – _how_ much she could do that. “You poking me can result in that.”

“Oh, sorry. That’s how my mom gets my attention.”

“… well, _my_ daddy doesn’t do that.” Rin was certain this was the beginning of an argument, some kind of petty disagreement. And she could see it was petty. Agree whole-heartedly and maybe later she’d kick herself for it but for now…

“What’s your problem? Is the attitude normal?”

“You’re one to talk about attitude, bossing me around and telling me when to get up and bribing me. I know we’re twins but it don’t mean we have to spend every waking minute together!” Serena’s eyes widened and Rin knew immediately she had a grave error. Watching how dull her eyes become, how her fists balled up nervously in her lap and she bit her bottom lip – as though holding back either rage or sorrow.

It was difficult to rationalize jealousy.

And Rin had spent the past week doing just that.

“Ah – damn it.” Rin rubbed the back of her head, suddenly feeling small. A week ago, when they had shared the photo – she was so excited and overcome with emotion at the thought of having a sister and there she was, pushing her away. “Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not going to cry, brat.” Serena muttered as she got off Rin’s bed and left the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Her earlier suspicions were confirmed – that was the anger talking. She even called her a brat…! _How?_ It wasn’t brat behavior to want some space after not being able to sleep when she wanted, get up when she wanted, and be tired from a long day of… of bonding.

Rin picked up the pillow, groaning loudly into it. Serena was just trying to spend time with her and as she figured out quickly in their second night together, she was awkward. If she thought of it… the places she took her to were less crowded areas in the city. Away from the tournament grounds where they could sit, talk, and not be drowned out by the noise around them. And there she was, talking about how pissed she was at being bossed around. The likelihood of Serena being the older one was possible… thought their maturity level was around the same.

 _Maybe… I’m just a jerk._ Rin followed her, seeing her sit and curl up in a small corner of the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. The way she clenched her jaw and how iron-firm her grip was, it was like she was holding herself back. Restraining herself.

Rin swayed back and forth, fiddling with bracelet at her wrist.

“So… our first sibling argument, we got ourselves a milestone, eh?” Rin joked, nervously laughing to try and break the ice. Serena merely narrowed her eyes. Rin sighed; this was harder than she thought it would be. Slowly and with uncertainty pulsing through her veins, Rin sat down on the other end of the couch. A good sign; Serena didn’t immediately stand up and leave. She hardly moved and didn’t acknowledge her sudden movement. That was a good start. Rin patted her knees nervously, unsure how to begin this conversation. It was better to say something – literally anything. Anything that wasn’t a joke. Sincerity was best, and Serena was trying therefore, she should too. “… I’m sorry. I just… I kinda assumed you were just showing off or whatever. Like… I don’t know you. I’m literally walking about the city with a complete stranger that I’m supposed to immediately love because we’re related. Maybe… I dunno, maybe we could start off slower?”

Serena sighed; taking in her words. She had been… slightly overzealous, too much ambition too fast. It was something different. A chance to make a good first impression – another one anyways, and she had always been told to be outgoing. The type of persona that Rin fit. Despite her own discomfort, the whole plan of taking her around to every place possible was to find something in common. Maybe a similar taste in dessert or clothing or games or anything of the like. She had tried desperately to prove how alike they were beyond just the same face. They were two different people, that much Serena had learned.

There was something clear.

They were both uncomfortable.

Serena released the vice grip on her legs. “So… you call him daddy?”

Rin blushed; the sudden change in topic was almost a kneejerk. “Uh… yea.”

“That’s childish.”

“Says the one who goes into a corner when she doesn’t get her way.” Rin had barely finished her sentence before being whacked in the face with one of the throw pillows and she groaned from surprise and laughed from the sudden action. Serena hit her!

She pulled the pillow from her sister’s grasp and whacked her back – ensuing a playful fight of trying to knock the other off the couch.

\---

It took about an hour. Both their hair were ruffled and each had odd little cuts from the zippers of the cushions that weren’t as well-hidden as they thought and were much harder than either had imagined. Now both laid on the floor behind the couch, laying on their backs and staring at the ceiling, occasionally speaking up, asking the smallest questions about the other.

“So… was that Satoshi guy your friend?”

“Sawatari. And no, we’re not friends.”

“Ah, is he one of those suck-ups that LDS is so famous for?” The burst of laughter that Serena unleashed, how red her face become as she tried to curl up to her side and cover her mouth, shaking her head in rebuttal. Rin sat up, taking hold of one of the weaponized pillows and hugged it close. “Hey…” Rin shook Serena fervently till she turned over, her laughing fit coming to an end. The seriousness on Rin’s face meant she wanted a real conversation. “What’s mommy like?

“Oh, um… serious, I guess. She’s in charge of Leo Corporations school branch. So like, all the schools – she dictates the rules and regulations, administration and whatnot.”

“I asked what she was like, not what her job is.” Though it did help knowing that. Rin imagined her a powerful businesswoman, fierce and commanding. She was probably the type that entered a room and suddenly took hold of every eyes and ears out of sheer respect. There was still that jealousy from earlier; Serena could see her whenever she wanted. “Like, does she purposefully embarrass you in front of your friends?”

Serena scrunched up her nose, scratching behind her ear. “Does dad do that?” Dad sounded right. Not too formal, not overly clingy like Rin’s ‘daddy’ title was but… it sounded right. Serena had never said that before. Just… just dad.

“Yea, he does that to me and Yugo all the time. We’re really close but daddy always jokes about marriage and makes things awkward.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

“No!” Her face reddened and she lifted the pillow up, hiding half her face amidst the fabric. “No, we’re just friends!”

Serena shrugged. She didn’t understand what the big deal was. It seemed pretty interesting if she did have a boyfriend, knowing how much Rin’s daily life differed from her own. Learning the tiniest thing of their dad… she imagined he must’ve been a jokester. That was probable due to him being the entertainment duelist he was. He was the kind that would dazzle a crowd and still make each member of the audience feel as though they were the only one there. A doting dad, that’s what she pictured. She wanted to know what that was like – to have the undivided attention… “You know, it’s gonna be awkward going home. I haven’t said anything to my mo- I mean… our mom, yet.” Serena corrected herself.

Their mom.

Ray was _their_ mom.

Just as Zarc was _their_ dad.

“Same. I think daddy would have a heart-attack. He doesn’t even know I have that picture, said she’s too much of a sore spot.”

“Really?” Serena sat up, her interest rising. “Mom doesn’t like talking about him either. I tried asking grandpa once and-”

“We have a grandpa?!” Rin interrupted, amazement in her eyes.

Serena nodded, pulling out her phone and sifted through the pictures before finding one. “Yea, see. That’s him right there. He decided to completely shave his head since he was balding. A better look for him…” Serena chuckled while Rin stared, mesmerized. As Rin took the phone and piled through the pictures, taking longer and longer to examine each and every one – as though she were trying to memorize each and every feature of the Akaba family. Serena couldn’t even begin to explain, not when Rin looked too pleased staring at the pictures of their mom. She couldn’t interrupt her happiness. “… hey, show me pictures of dad.”

Serena pulled on Rin’s short, puffy hair, trying to knock her back to reality before Rin grimaced, reaching to her own pocket and taking out her own phone. “Here, take it.” She muttered as she unlocked it and tossed it in Serena’s direction. She snorted; they were just pictures. Why was she so fascinated?

She leaned against Rin’s arm, decided on opening the gallery and found several pictures and scrolled as fast she could past the selfies and aesthetically pleasing food. Even more past the ones of the same boy – she assumed was Yugo. Serena scrolled in disinterest until she found a video. That was… that was definitely their dad. She pressed play.

**“Rin, ya watching? Ok, look – you must plant your feet firmly. Like this, are you paying attention?”**

It was a dueling lesson; teaching her how to properly stand atop a duel monster. He was standing atop a wingless red dragon and smiling, confidence radiating from him. That was… she scrolled away, the next few pictures were of him doing different poses… there was even one of him summoning.

New videos came up. Four different summoning methods and each one was practically an instruction video. To anyone else, it was a bore. But this was the first time Serena heard his voice. His laughter. Every facial muscle, the way he flexed his wrists when he drew a card, how he folded his hands when he fusion summoned – even the way he enunciated his chants.

Her chest tightened.

She didn’t want to give the phone back. Instead, she opened up the contacts and put herself in – deciding to send herself every picture of their dad to herself. The phone in her hand started vibrating and in each of the previews, there was only a picture.

Rin had the same idea.

“Boy, it’s gonna be weird going back.” Serena nodded in agreement, still in the process of sending over the videos and pictures. A solemn look overtook her. The odds of them meeting again at a tournament were unlikely, astronomical. Even the fact that they met accidentally like this… no, the next time had to be a purposeful meet-up else they’d never meet again. They somehow did their whole lives. “Mommy’s really pretty – I think we got her nose.”

“We definitely have dad’s eyes.” Serena leaned back, resting against Rin’s shoulder. She wanted to see those eyes for herself… the longing deep in her gut only grew worse. The idea of going back home with the knowledge of where her sister and father were and pretending as though she was find with not seeing her again – fine with not even wanting to see her dad… she couldn’t go back.

Serena’s eyes widened and she shot up immediately, her body stiff as a board. Her mind was going a million miles a minute from the sudden ludicrous idea that flooded her. And if there was anything she was taught – the ludicrous ideas were the ones that were best to follow. It was the only way to achieve anything. She whipped around, grabbing her phone out of Rin’s grasp and got her attention almost too easily.

“Hey! I haven’t finished-!”

She waved her hands, a gesture of her franticness and need to silence Rin. “Who needs pictures when you can meet her in person?” Serena quickly interjected, and Rin’s jaw suddenly dropped in shock. “Think about it,” she now had free reign to speak as her twin was too busy diving deeper into her stunned silence, “You really wanna meet Mom and there’s no way I’m going back to Maiami without meeting Dad at least once in my life.”

“What…?”

Serena groaned. Why wasn’t Rin on the same wave-length was her?

“We’re _identical_ twins who don’t know the other exists. Or at least, not _supposed_ to know. So I mean… whose to say that me going to Neo Domino will raise any sort of suspicions?” Serena could see it. Behind Rin’s uncertain and confused expression, the cogs were beginning to turn and twist and the idea was forming. She was realizing what that meant. If Serena went back to Neo Domino as her, then she could go to Maiami and…!

She stood up abruptly, her legs painfully numb and a static feeling coursed through them as they were slowly waking up. Her chest rose and she unleased a deep breath. “You’re crazy.”

That was not the response she was hoping for. Maybe something a little less extreme – something more about agreeing with her and finishing her sentence or whatever else siblings supposedly did. “No, I’m not. This is brilliant, and you know it!” Did their dad really not encourage chasing after difficult and challenging situations?

Rin could only laugh, covering her face with her hand to bury her laughter. Clearly, their father was some sort of pessimist and it was rubbing off on Rin. Normally, Serena was too but not now! “No one would believe that.”

“Sawatari did.” Serena quickly brought up as she too stood up and grimaced as the pain coursing through her wobbly legs. Though he was shaky evidence at best. Fooling an idiot she saw at school under specific circumstances was one thing, easy upon first glance.

“We would never be able to fool our parents. And besides, it’s not like I want to live as ‘Akaba Serena’ for the rest of my life…” The thought alone of having to be isolated from her dad and Yugo and her entire life back in Neo Domino on a whim… her chest tightened, but it was a chance to see her mom and meet her for the first time. She didn’t want to give anything up for this.

And why did Serena sound like she was perfectly willing to give up her life back home?

Was that what she expected of her?

Was she that cold…?

Serena shook her head. “It’s not gonna be _forever_ , Rin! I can’t possibly act bubbly and social forever – this week has been painful enough…” She muttered the last bit under her breath and sighed heavily, placing her hands on her hips. “What I’m saying is; we switch places. Just for a little bit!”

“They’ll find out, really quickly.”

Serena smiled. A cunning and calculating grin. “That’s what I hope for. Because then… we’ll have to switch back. And…” Serena was spinning her hands in front of her, almost like a wheel in motion.

When one domino fell, another one fell and so on and so forth to build a pattern. Then switching and being discovered would lead to their parents making them switch back and… and! Rin gasped, her entire body shook as she became animated upon realization of what the end goal of the plan was. “They’d have to meet again!” Stars were suddenly in Rin’s eyes.

She had said it herself; the subject of her mom was too much of a sore spot. Meaning he was still in love with her and even seeing a photo of her was too much to bare. If they met up again, pent-up emotions have built up over the years and would overflow the instant their eyes met. The vision in her mind sounded like a scenario out of an old romance movie where upon seeing each other, they’d remember why they loved each other.

And get together.

And they could all live together as a family…

Rin took a deep breath and squared back her shoulders, placing her hands upon Serena’s shoulders. Her smile matched that same devious smile on Serena’s and it was very much like looking into a mirror.

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to publish this all when it was done but decided otherwise.


End file.
